


Do you want to know a secret?

by MrsHSolo



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 15:32:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7513582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsHSolo/pseuds/MrsHSolo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rindy has some questions for the adults but no one wants to answer, until Aunt Therese came. Rindy's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do you want to know a secret?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. I'm a noob fan fic writer and english is not my native language, but I just can't shake this story off my mind. I just fell in love with the book, the aesthetics of the film (Todd and Ed are cinematic geniuses) and the performance of the actresses. So, I tried my luck here.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“I always get excited whenever my Father would tell me that I’ll be spending an afternoon or a day or a night at Mommy’s. Sometimes, I can’t hide my enthusiasm from my father, that I can see him smile a little peculiar than usual. I just can’t explain it, as if there was something wrong with his curved smile or there was a twinkle that's missing on his eyes. Whenever this happens, I always hug him and tell him that I love him too, as much as I love Mommy and Kevin, the dog of our neighbor next door, and often times I’ll take a little pirouette and a courtesy at him, this is guaranteed to make him throw back his head and laugh. 

Ever since when I was 5 or 6 years old, my Mother and Father started to live separately. Father and I lived with Grandpa and Grandma in New Jersey while Mommy lives with Aunt Therese in their apartment located in Madison Avenue. One evening during dinner, I asked my father and grandparents on why Mommy and Father can’t live together, Grandma just snickered at me with those furious eyes, up to this day I can still get a shiver down my spine whenever I picture it. Knowing that that look will get me into trouble, I didn’t push for answers and settled with myself that I will just have to wait for the weekend to ask my mother about it. 

The following Saturday afternoon, I found myself very anxious as Aunt Therese, as always a camera dangling around her neck, and I were walking in a park, we were on our way to meet Mother at our favorite ice cream parlor by the pond. So many questions were going through my mind that moment like; What if she reacts like Grandma? What if she just laugh at me? What if I can get in trouble by asking her?

As we near our destination, sensing that something’s bothering me, Aunt Therese asked me if everything was alright. I mustered all my courage and asked her the question on why Mommy and Daddy are now living separately. I found myself holding my breath as I waited anxiously and impatiently for the answer. Aunt Therese, whose cheeks were as red as a cherry with beads of sweat suddenly appearing on her forehead, still managed to smile at me tenderly. She kneeled down before me, I saw her inhaled deeply before looking directly at my eyes.

“Rindy, each one of us has this fire within us and this fire has a partner somewhere inside another person. We will spend our lifetime searching for that missing “fire partner” who fits like a puzzle with our own. What happened with your Mommy and Daddy is that they thought that they are each other’s “Fire Partner” but instead they have discovered that their fire are not perfectly fit for each other and this ultimately lead to an uncontrollable fire. Now Rindy, what happens if you played with fire?” she asked me. 

I took my time before answering, I told her that I will get an “Ah-wee” if I played with fire.

“Exactly. Both Mommy and Daddy will continue to get hurt and get an Ah-wee if they continue to live together. You don’t want that, right?”

I shook my head as a response.

“Good girl! Now let's get going, your Mother is waiting for us, and God knows that her fire will lit as many cigarettes as it can.” she said as she smiled at me showing me her dimpled cheeks.

Satisfied with her answer, I hugged her very tight. I was so happy that finally, someone answered my question. Although as a 5 or 6 year old girl back then, I still didn’t had the knowledge to analyze deeply what Aunt Therese just explained, I was just very grateful at her that she made an effort to feed my curiosity. Still clinging on her neck, I thanked her and told her that this should be our secret from Mommy. 

“You’re welcome Rindy” she replied and added that she was agreeing with me that this conversation was our little secret and that she will take it to her grave. 

In that moment, I realized that I love Aunt Therese very dearly and that she is now a vital person in my life as much as Mommy and Daddy. I smiled and hugged her tighter and told her that I love her. She laughed and told me that she loves me too and that I was already choking her. I eventually losen my grip, she then stood up and we continued our journey hand in hand, with both of us feeling relief and lighter than ever.

When we were near our destination, I saw my Mother sitting on the bench, smoking her cigarette, by the ice cream parlor. I let go of Aunt Therese’s hand and ran to her, shouting and screaming to get her attention. The moment she saw me, I saw her face lit up, threw her cigarette and glided towards me. As I reached her arms, she swung me around, carried me by her waist and showered me with kisses, it was a routine of ours whenever we meet until much much later when she can’t carry me anymore. Then, she saw Aunt Therese standing close by, snapping pictures after pictures, she gave her a wide smile, leaned in closer and a peck on the dimpled cheeks. 

As I saw Aunt Therese blush, I suddenly remember to ask her if she found her fire partner.

“Luckily, I already did” she replied smirking at Mother who has now raisend an eyebrow to both of us. Then Aunt Therese as if looking for someone, looked around making sure that the coast is clear and gave Mother a kiss on the cheeks which in return made the blonde blush too.

Mother flashed a wide smile. That smile has always been my favorite of my mother’s; the upward curves of her lips, making some wrinkle appear by her twinkling eye. It was very different from my father’s, her smile is sincere, you can actually feel warm inside just by looking at that it. 

It was after several years later that I’ve realized that the unique, genuine and blinding smile only has one recipient, it was only for and always will be for Therese Belivet.

And as we all gather around here to celebrate and remember the life of an artist, a friend, a lover and most importantly, a mother to me... let us all hope that my Aunt Therese’s and Mother's fire will forever light our hearts for eternity. Thank you.”

As she remove her reading glasses from her eyes, Rindy can hear sniffles from the small crowd gathered around the cemetery. A deep pit was excavated beside her Mother’s grave, and in front was a coffin. Holding back her tears, Rindy finds her way towards the lifeless body of her Aunt Therese laying inside that cold wooden box called a casket. She still can’t believe that she will not be able to hear her sweet laugh, will not be able to look at those round loving eyes and see those wide smiles making her dimples appear on the corners again. Rindy, this time, let her tears roll down through her cheeks.  
Before closing the coffin, Rindy leaned in, kissed the familiar cheek one last time and whispered,

“Thanks for keeping our secret”.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave any comments, good or bad, cause I am really working on my writing skills. Criticisms, constructive or not, are welcome!


End file.
